James Carafano is a leading expert in defense and homeland security at The Heritage
Foundation.
Carafano's research focuses on developing the national security that the nation needs to secure the long-term interests of the United States – protecting its citizens, providing for economic growth, and preserving civil liberties.
An accomplished historian and teacher, Carafano was an Assistant Professor at the U.S. Military
Academy in West Point, N.Y., and served as
Director of Military Studies at the Army's Center of
Military History. He also taught at Mount Saint
Mary College in New York and served as a Fleet Professor at the U.S. Naval War
College. He is a Visiting Professor at the National Defense University and
Georgetown University .
Carafano is the author of several military books, history books and studies. His latest is Private Sector/Public Wars: Contracting in Combat-Iraq, Afghanistan and
Future Conflicts, a rigorous study of the role of contractors on the battlefield and their impact on military effectiveness and civil society.
Carafano also is the coauthor of Winning the Long War: Lessons from the Cold
War for Defeating Terrorism and Preserving Freedom. The first to coin the term, the
"long war," the authors argue that a successful strategy requires a balance of prudent military and security measures, continued economic growth, the zealous protection of civil liberties and winning the "war of ideas" against terrorist ideologies.
In addition, Carafano is the coauthor of the textbook, Homeland Security published by McGraw-Hill. Homeland Security is a practical introduction to everyday life in the new era of terrorism. Numerous key details are addressed, from roles of first responders and volunteers to family preparedness techniques to in-depth descriptions of weapons of mass destruction.
His other works include: G.I. Ingenuity: Improvisation, Technology and Winning
World War II (2006); Waltzing Into the Cold War (2002) by Texas A & M

University; After D-Day, a Military Book Club main selection (2000). Carafano is currently writing a book about modern military history. He is also editing the forthcoming book series, "The Changing Face of War," which examines how emerging political, social, economic and cultural trends will affect the nature of conflict.
As an expert on defense, intelligence, and homeland security issues, he has testified before the U.S. Congress and has provided commentary for ABC, BBC,
CBS, CNBC, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News, Fox Business, MSNBC, NBC, SkyNews,
Pajamas TV, PBS, National Public Radio, the History Channel, Voice of America,
Al Jazeera, and Australian, Austrian, Canadian, French, Greek, Hong Kong, Irish,
Iranian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish television. His editorials have appeared in newspapers nationwide including The Baltimore Sun, The
Boston Globe, The New York Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, USA Today and The
Washington Times. He is a regular weekly columnist for the D.C. Examiner .
Carafano joined Heritage in 2003 as a Senior Research Fellow after serving as a
Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a
Washington policy institute dedicated to defense issues. In 2006, Carafano became Assistant Director of Heritage's Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies.
Before becoming a policy expert, he served 25 years in the Army, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. During his service, Carafano served in Europe, Korea, and the United States and was head speechwriter for the Army Chief of Staff, the service's highest-ranking officer. Before retiring, he was Executive Editor of Joint
Force Quarterly, the Defense Department's premiere professional military journal.
Carafano is a member of the National Academy's Board on Army Science and
Technology, the Department of the Army Historical Advisory Committee, and is a
Senior Fellow at the George Washington University's Homeland Security Policy
Institute.
A graduate of West Point, Carafano also has a master's degree and a doctorate from Georgetown University and a master's degree in strategy from the U.S. Army
War College. In 2005, Carafano earned Heritage's prestigious Drs. W. Glenn and Rita Ricardo Campbell Award. It is given to the employee who has delivered
"an outstanding contribution to the analysis and promotion of the Free Society."